Not exactly blocked - more stuck... Anyone have any advice? I begin work on a script or story and the idea is there, but I reach a certain point and everything vanishes and I can't write another sentence, or I go back and start re-writing (which I know is futile because it just means I have about 20 different beginnings and nothing else.) What do you guys do to stop that - any thoughts or pearls of wisdom? Thanks, Peter
Screenwriting : Not exactly blocked - more stu… by Peter Wood
Other topics in Screenwriting:
Check out Trending Discussions
Register / Log In
I keep a notebook for every project which I carry around everywhere I go. Every tiny thought I get about the project I write down. Quite often I use spider diagrams to try and brainstorm the next step in the plot or the next emotion my characters should feel, or the reasons something happens. I tend to find that you just need to keep writing, even if at the time you are writing something which you know isn't great. You can change it later! At least by doing that, it pushes you through that path that you are sticking on. So in my first draft, that awkward bit that I get stuck writing will be quite expo heavy or have really clunky dialogue. By the second or third draft, I can cut that scene back to just it's essential points. Hope that helps!
Thanks for that Peter much appreciated. Will keep on going.
If your stuck ask the bad guy what he/it's planning. Usually works for me, Say your characters got to a bridge but you can't see your hero on the other side, try blowing up the bridge.
Sometimes, when that happens to me, it means I need a break. So I do whatever I can. I go out and walk. I cook. I clean. I read a book. I sleep. The point is, I do something else. Sometimes, I just need that time away to clear the cobwebs in my mind. Check out this blog, too http://www.writeyourscreenplay.com/category/writers-block/. There's a lot of advice in there for those times when you get stuck.
Hey cuz. The best advice I've encountered, which worked like a charm for me, was to ask myself, " what is the antagonist up to?" Now, when I get stuck, I shift to the opposition.
1 person likes this
I usually close my eyes and run what I have written so far in a movie in my mind. Knowing the story can't end, one of my characters steps forward and takes the ball. If that doesn't work, I usually scan the background and pull something forward. This little task usually sends my mind in a direction even I didn't expect.
One thing I found while writing is let the characters take over. Let them guide you through the difficult areas. You'll see if you allow them to run...your story will go to unexpected places. You can't force a character to do something they aren't willing to do. Fortunately for me, my main characters are murderers. They run rampant on the pages.